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1

The Show / Stop being an asshole about prepositions

« on: May 25, 2010, 02:06:52 PM »

There is nothing grammatically wrong with the sentence "It doesn't matter where you come from," but for some reason, in the May 20 show, Ian decided to instead say "It doesn't matter whence you come" (after a great deal of fumbling). This weird aversion to ending a sentence with a preposition has been rampant in the show lately, and it's becoming grating.

You sound like an uneducated yet arrogant prick when you adjust your wording to some asinine, unnatural construction involving the word "whence" just to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition. IT IS NOT INCORRECT TO END A SENTENCE WITH A PREPOSITION.

See, for example:
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002485.html
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ending-prepositions.aspx
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_it_proper_grammar_to_end_a_sentence_with_a_preposition

2

General / The Gravitron

« on: March 27, 2010, 02:45:36 PM »

Holy fuck I can't believe the Gravitron came up on the show on Friday. That ride was my obsession every summer as a kid.

3

The Show / "Less" vs. "fewer": Mark (and Ian) should read this

« on: December 16, 2009, 11:20:27 PM »

http://158.130.17.5/~myl/languagelog/archives/004147.html

4

The Show / Matt Simon is a sycophantic dick

« on: October 10, 2009, 03:04:00 PM »

'Nuff said.

5

General / It's time to talk secession

« on: June 01, 2009, 11:13:12 PM »

In my experience, some of the most productive conversations with American nationalists come down to a discussion of the right to secession, since the country they love so dearly was born through secession. Below is an excerpt from the #LRN channel tonight. As background, Luke supports tight immigration controls.

Jun 01 19:57:12 <AnCapMan>   Luke here is a book you might like to listen to http://book.freekeene.com
Jun 01 19:59:12 <AnCapMan>   and find hazlitt's economics in one lesson http://www.hacer.org/pdf/Hazlitt00.pdf
Jun 01 20:02:36 <Luke>   who is this hazlitt guy?
Jun 01 20:03:11 <LeeDoren>   henry hazlitt
Jun 01 20:03:24 <LeeDoren>   austrian economist
Jun 01 20:03:34 <LeeDoren>   'economics in one lesson'
Jun 01 20:04:48 <Luke>   good, Austrian economists are the best
Jun 01 20:04:56 <Luke>   Keneysian economists are ruining everything
Jun 01 20:05:47 <R_W_W>   what the
Jun 01 20:06:28 <R_W_W>   How can you applaud Austrian economics on one hand and advocate fundamental market interferences on the other?
Jun 01 20:06:33 <R_W_W>   Talk about cognitive dissonance
Jun 01 20:07:12 <Luke>   But I'm not advocating fundamental market interferences
Jun 01 20:07:27 <Luke>   I'm  not like one of those tax and spend liberals
Jun 01 20:08:25 <R_W_W>   Comprehensive regulations on hiring aren't interferences, eh?
Jun 01 20:09:28 <Luke>   yeah, I don't like regulations on hiring either
Jun 01 20:09:55 <Luke>   except for regulatons that say no hiring illegal aliens
Jun 01 20:10:08 <R_W_W>   Oh, sure, except for those
Jun 01 20:10:22 <Luke>   yeah
Jun 01 20:10:57 <R_W_W>   And what justifies banning the hiring of "illegals"?
Jun 01 20:12:51 <Luke>   because illegal aliens are turning America into a colony of Mexico
Jun 01 20:13:00 <R_W_W>   Whatever that means.
Jun 01 20:13:12 <golwis>   whatever DOES that mean?
Jun 01 20:13:25 <R_W_W>   ...and for some reason we should care about this
Jun 01 20:13:32 <R_W_W>   None of this has been explained
Jun 01 20:13:35 <Luke>   yeah we should
Jun 01 20:13:41 <Luke>   because Amerrica is our country
Jun 01 20:13:46 <R_W_W>   No it's not.
Jun 01 20:13:53 <Luke>   yes it is
Jun 01 20:14:00 <R_W_W>   It's the country in which I live
Jun 01 20:14:04 <R_W_W>   I don't own it
Jun 01 20:14:19 <Luke>   yes you do
Jun 01 20:14:36 <Luke>   you collectively own it along with all the rest of the LEGAL citizens of America
Jun 01 20:14:47 <R_W_W>   Collectivist.
Jun 01 20:15:10 <R_W_W>   By the way, hypothetically, what if I want America to be a colony of Mexico?
Jun 01 20:15:30 <R_W_W>   A large portion of "legal citizens" would like more illegals here.
Jun 01 20:15:39 <R_W_W>   Why is their view illegitimate?
Jun 01 20:15:55 <R_W_W>   I mean, I know they're not the majority...
Jun 01 20:16:04 <Luke>   I think that people who are trying to further along the Mexican colonization of America are traitors to America
Jun 01 20:16:09 <R_W_W>   So, is America actually owned by whoever happens to be in the majority?
Jun 01 20:17:33 <Luke>   it's a federal republic
Jun 01 20:17:47 <R_W_W>   According to a handful of men 200+ years ago, you mean
Jun 01 20:17:48 <Luke>   so the power of the majority is limited by the constitution
Jun 01 20:18:04 <R_W_W>   According to a document I never consented to abide by
Jun 01 20:18:08 <vtocce>   dude there should be no constitution questions here
Jun 01 20:18:12 <vtocce>   it should be a given
Jun 01 20:18:23 <vtocce>   if not have one in your back pocket
Jun 01 20:18:24 <Luke>   you automatically consent to it by living here
Jun 01 20:18:33 <R_W_W>   What should be given? That the Constitution has no legitimate authority?
Jun 01 20:18:46 <vtocce>   the point of that document is that it speaks for itself
Jun 01 20:18:47 <R_W_W>   The Constitution has no legitimate authority.
Jun 01 20:18:57 <Luke>   yes it does
Jun 01 20:18:57 <R_W_W>   I have not signed it.
Jun 01 20:19:03 <R_W_W>   Nor would I, except under duress.
Jun 01 20:19:37 <R_W_W>   Contracts cannot be implicitly agreed upon.
Jun 01 20:19:47 <R_W_W>   They must be directly affirmed
Jun 01 20:20:11 <Luke>   you've been reading too much lysander spooner
Jun 01 20:20:57 <R_W_W>   Luke, how is it that the King of England's authority over the colonies was not legitimate?
Jun 01 20:21:15 <R_W_W>   The colonies were part of England, right?
Jun 01 20:21:59 <Luke>   I think that the whole England thing is confusing so I don't like to talk about it
Jun 01 20:22:04 <R_W_W>   ...
Jun 01 20:22:35 <R_W_W>   How is it that the colonists ceased to be subjects of King George?
Jun 01 20:23:15 <Luke>   I think because people got sick of King George and they were an ocean away from King George, so that gave them the right to secede from England
Jun 01 20:23:22 <R_W_W>   ...
Jun 01 20:23:27 <R_W_W>   Distance gives them the right?
Jun 01 20:23:30 <Luke>   yeah
Jun 01 20:23:32 <R_W_W>   So can California secede?
Jun 01 20:23:37 <Luke>   no
Jun 01 20:23:41 <R_W_W>   How far do you have to be?
Jun 01 20:23:42 <Luke>   because it's connected
Jun 01 20:23:53 <Luke>   you have to be connected by land (I think)
Jun 01 20:23:53 <R_W_W>   So if I build a wide moat around my house, can I secede?
Jun 01 20:23:58 <Luke>   no
Jun 01 20:24:01 <R_W_W>   Why not?
Jun 01 20:24:16 <Luke>   because that's just a little moat, that's not an ocean or anything
Jun 01 20:24:29 <R_W_W>   So how wide does my moat need to be?
Jun 01 20:24:46 <Luke>   pretty damn wide
Jun 01 20:24:49 <R_W_W>   How wide?
Jun 01 20:24:55 <Luke>   like the distance between America and Britain
Jun 01 20:25:01 <R_W_W>   Interesting.
Jun 01 20:25:28 <R_W_W>   So if the U.S. and Canada were to join together into one nation, there would be no legitimate way for them to break back apart?
Jun 01 20:25:48 <R_W_W>   ...since they're joined by land
Jun 01 20:26:34 <Luke>   oh, lord I hope that doesn't happen
Jun 01 20:26:40 <R_W_W>   What if it does?
Jun 01 20:26:46 <R_W_W>   Can there be no secession?
Jun 01 20:27:00 <Luke>   well it depends if it's part of the NAU
Jun 01 20:27:26 <R_W_W>   No, I mean an actual government
Jun 01 20:27:29 <Luke>   oh
Jun 01 20:27:33 <Luke>   damn
Jun 01 20:27:37 <R_W_W>   Not just a pact of some kind
Jun 01 20:27:46 <Luke>   um
Jun 01 20:27:56 <R_W_W>   Well?
Jun 01 20:28:17 <Luke>   well it depends, is this happening through the Canadian provences ratifying the Constitution?
Jun 01 20:28:41 <Luke>   or is this happening through the US states ratifying whatever Canada's document is?
Jun 01 20:29:01 <R_W_W>   Why does it depend?
Jun 01 20:29:08 <R_W_W>   Let's say it's the second one
Jun 01 20:29:14 <Luke>   damn
Jun 01 20:29:30 <R_W_W>   Could America then never become its own nation again?
Jun 01 20:29:56 <Luke>   I don't know
Jun 01 20:30:31 <R_W_W>   What do you mean, you don't know?
Jun 01 20:31:03 <R_W_W>   You seem to know that one of the U.S. states can't secede
Jun 01 20:31:14 <R_W_W>   Even though many of them used to be independent
Jun 01 20:31:20 <Luke>   Well I would think that people here in the US dissolving the Constitution and joining Canada would be treason
Jun 01 20:31:34 <R_W_W>   Treason against what?
Jun 01 20:31:43 <Luke>   treason against the United States
Jun 01 20:31:51 <R_W_W>   ...what?
Jun 01 20:32:16 <R_W_W>   So was it treason against Texas when the rulers there decided to join the U.S.?
Jun 01 20:32:48 <Luke>   I don't know
Jun 01 20:33:25 <R_W_W>   Yet you do think that the U.S. can't join Canada
Jun 01 20:33:25 <Luke>   I wouldn't think so, since Texas planned to join America very soon after becoming independent
Jun 01 20:33:44 <R_W_W>   Seems that the U.S. is the exception to every one of your rules
Jun 01 20:33:55 <Luke>   no it isn't
Jun 01 20:33:55 <R_W_W>   Almost as if America is some kind of divinity
Jun 01 20:34:37 <AnCapMan>   Luke if half +1 of your neighborhood decided to claim your family's house as part of the collectively owned community
Jun 01 20:34:53 <AnCapMan>   what would you think of that?
Jun 01 20:35:24 <Luke>   Yeah, that's called eminent domain, which I'm against
Jun 01 20:35:37 <AnCapMan>   no no
Jun 01 20:36:02 <AnCapMan>   I am saying they decided to form a nation and your house is now part of it
Jun 01 20:36:05 <AnCapMan>   owned collectively
Jun 01 20:37:15 <Luke>   No, because my house is already part of the USA
Jun 01 20:37:31 <R_W_W>   But Jefferson's neighbor's house was already part of England
Jun 01 20:37:46 <R_W_W>   What if the majority in the U.S. vote to join Canada?
Jun 01 20:37:50 <Luke>   Well I would call them traitors.
Jun 01 20:37:59 <R_W_W>   Oh, because it's America.
Jun 01 20:38:10 <R_W_W>   America is eternal and unalterable.
Jun 01 20:38:14 <R_W_W>   I think I understand now
Jun 01 20:42:07 <R_W_W>   Then under what circumstances could America legitimately join Canada?
Jun 01 20:42:31 <Luke>   it can't legitimately join canada
Jun 01 20:42:43 <R_W_W>   So no nation can ever legitimately join another?
Jun 01 20:43:00 <Luke>   I don't know
Jun 01 20:43:03 <R_W_W>   And apparently a nation can only secede from another if they're separated by a great deal of water
Jun 01 20:46:22 <R_W_W>   Luke, your rules are arbitrary
Jun 01 20:47:41 <R_W_W>   You don't know if any nation can legitimately join another, but you know that America can't. You know that America legitimately seceded from England, but you don't know exactly why that was legitimate.
Jun 01 20:47:45 <R_W_W>   Does that about sum it up?
Jun 01 20:48:00 <Luke>   yeah
Jun 01 20:48:06 <R_W_W>   Alrighty then
Jun 01 20:48:26 <R_W_W>   No principles whatsoever
Jun 01 20:52:10 <R_W_W>   If only there were a large enough body of water between me and Washington, D.C.
Jun 01 20:52:11 <R_W_W>   Alas
Jun 01 20:54:14 <Luke>   well there is a solution
Jun 01 20:55:12 <Luke>   and the solution is for those who don't want to live in America to live in a different country
Jun 01 20:55:30 <R_W_W>   Is that what the Founding Fathers did?
Jun 01 20:55:40 <R_W_W>   If you don't like England, live somewhere else!

If Luke is honest with himself, he's going to have a lot of thinking to do about why there is no logical structure to his view on secession.

6

General / Check out these statists

« on: May 18, 2009, 01:10:56 AM »

I guess I sort of blindsided them with my disdain for Marines, because their arguments are especially pathetic:

http://bitsandpieces.us/2009/05/16/hard-to-argue-with-this